Various Artists - Rough Guide To Reggae (World Music Network) (1997)

The Rough Guide to Reggae was released in 1997 as part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series, the album gives broad coverage to the reggae genre originating in Jamaica. The album was curated by Steve Barrow, who also wrote the namesake book, and later compiled The Rough Guide to Dub (which will be uploaded at a later date....). Phil Stanton, co-founder of the World Music Network, was the producer.

"The Rough Guide to Reggae is a stellar introduction to the music, though lacking a song by Bob Marley is a serious oversight (or perhaps, a statement about the importance of reggae's most famous figure). The artists who are included are some of the best, though, including Toots & the Maytals, Augustus Pablo, King Tubby, Burning Spear, the Congos, Aswad, Gregory Isaacs, Buju Banton and Lucky Dube." 

------ Review By Keith Farley

Tracklist:

1. "Broadway Jungle" - The Maytals (as 'The Flames') (2:50)
2. "Chinatown" - Don Drummond & The Skatalites (2:34)
3. "The Tide Is High" - The Paragons (2:45)
4. "Rivers of Babylon" - The Melodians (4:15)
5. "Too Late" - Augustus Pablo (3:16)
6. "Great Stone" - King Tubby & Soul Syndicate (3:10)
7. "Conquering Lion" - Yabby You & The Prophets (3:28)
8. "Slavery Days" - Burning Spear (3:25)
9. "Fisherman" - The Congos (6:03)
10. "Warrior Charge" - Aswad (5:48)
11. "Rough Neck" - Gregory Isaacs (6:53)
12. "This a Lover's Corner" - General Echo (4:47)
13. "Entertainment" - Triston Palmer (3:34)
14. "Cockney Translation" - Smiley Culture (3:10)
15. "We Can Work It Out" - Janet-Lee Davis & Peter Hunnigale (3:50)
16. "Living Dangerously" - Barrington Levy & Bounty Killer (3:30)
17. "Untold Stories" - Buju Banton (4:34)
18. "Slave" - Lucky Dube (4:06)

Download Link - Mediafire

Various Artists - Rough Guide To Flamenco (World Music Network) (1996)

The Rough Guide to Flamenco was originally released in 1997 as part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series. Similarly to other releases in the series it is a compilation album which gives broad coverage to the flamenco genre of Spain. The compilation was produced by Phil Stanton, co-founder of the World Music Network. Liner notes were written by Tom Andrews. This was the first of three similarly named albums released in 2007 and 2013 respectively (unfortunately I have neither of these later releases!)

"An overview of the flamenco tradition from the Rough Guide Networks. Some of the greatest singers and guitarists from the tradition are present: Camaron de la Isla, Paco de Lucia, Chano Lobato, Tomatito. Also, newer wave flamenco acts, such as Ketama and Pata Negra, are present, bringing electric instrumentation and more rock-tinged performances. A nice overview of the tradition, but some things would be even nicer -- say, recording dates in the liner notes. Still, the quality of the music can speak for itself. For purer forms, one can (and should) look elsewhere, to help escape the inevitable tourist aspects of a Rough Guide album (for pure flamenco song, look up Cante Flamenco). If one is interested in flamenco in general, it might not be a bad place to start, but once into the style, one should branch off into the separate styles within (new wave flamenco, traditional, instrumental, etc.)."

 

----------- Review by Adam Greenberg

Tracklist:

1. "Venta Zoraida (Tangos Paraos)" - Enrique Morente (3:45)
2. "Mi Tiempo (Bulerías)" - Rafael Riqueni (2:14)
3. "Veloz Hacia Su Sino" - Jorge Pardo (4:42)
4. "Bulería de la Mocita (Bulería a Palo Seco)" - Tomasa La Macanita (5:09)
5. "Del Molinete (Taranta y Cartagenera)" - Carmen Linares (4:44)
6. "Pozo del Deseo" - Songhai with Ketama (4:43)
7. "La Voz del Tiempo (Tangos)" - Tomatito with Camarón (4:08)
8. "Y Yo Qué Culpa Tengo (Tangos)" - Miguel Poveda (4:40)
9. "Bodas de Sangre" - Pata Negra (3:03)
10. "Serrana, Que Te Olvidara" - Duquende (5:46)
11. "Del Calvario (Bulerías)" - Jose Soto (3:15)
12. "A Quien Contarle (Malagueña)" - Chano Lobato (7:27)
13. "Dicen de Mí" - Carles Benavent with Paco de Lucía (4:00)
14. "A Mi Tío Lele (Seguidilla)" - Potito (3:56)
15. "A Mi Manuel (Soleá)" - Pepe Habichuela (3:56)
16. "Nana de Colores" - Diego Carrasco (4:17)
17. "Abuelo Pacote (Bulería Por Soleá)" - El Barullo (3:30)

 Download Link - Mediafire

Various Artists - The Rough Guide To Classical Jazz (World Music Network) (1996)

The Rough Guide to Classic Jazz is a jazz compilation album originally released in 1997. Part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series, the album covers the genre's growth from the turn of the 20th century to the 1930s, largely focusing on the "Jazz Age". The compilation was produced by Phil Stanton, co-founder of the World Music Network. Curation was performed by Robert Parker, an audio engineer specializing in the period and host of the radio show Jazz Classics in Digital Stereo.

Michaelangelo Matos, writing for the Chicago Reader, claimed it "buried" the contemporaneous Swing Revival and noted his surprise at the number of "obscure white groups".

"The Rough Guide to Classic Jazz is a fine introduction to the growth of jazz from the beginning of the 20th century up to the mid-'30s, including selections by all the major pioneers -- Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, Fats Waller, Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington -- as well as important blues figures like Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith and Pinetop Smith."

---------- Review by Keith Farley

Tracklist:

1. "Dr Jazz" - Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers (3:24)
2. "Smoke-House Blues" - Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers (3:26)
3. "Dixie Jass Band One-Step" - Original Dixieland Jazz Band (2:37)
4. "Dippermouth Blues" - King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band (2:26)
5. "Mr. Jelly Lord" - New Orleans Rhythm Kings (3:04)
6. "Sugar Foot Stomp" - Fletcher Henderson & His Orchestra (2:48)
7. "Potato Head Blues" - Louis Armstrong & His Hot Seven (2:55)
8. "West End Blues" - Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five (3:17)
9. "Hear Me Talking to You" - Ma Rainey with her Tub Jug Washboard Band (2:59)
10. "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" - Bessie Smith (2:57)
11. "Shake That Jelly-Roll" - J.C. Cobb & His Grains Of Corn (2:57)
12. "Stomp Your Stuff" - State Street Ramblers (3:11)
13. "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie" - Pinetop Smith (3:09)
14. "Nobody's Sweetheart" - McKenzie and Condon's Chicagoans (3:05)
15. "Since My Girl Turned Me Down" - Bix Beiderbecke & His Gang (3:03)
16. "Beale Street Blues" - The Charleston Chasers (2:59)
17. "Imagination" - Miff Mole & His Molers (2:49)
18. "Makin' Friends" - Eddie Condon & His Footwarmers (3:00)
19. "The Minor Drag" - Fats Waller & His Buddies (2:39)
20. "Log Cabin Blues" - Clarence Williams' Washboard Five (3:11)
21. "South" - Benny Moten's Kansas City Orchestra (2:33)
22. "Creole Love Call" - Duke Ellington & His Orchestra (3:12)
23. "Hot and Anxious" - Don Redman & His Orchestra (2:49)
24. "New King Porter Stomp" - Fletcher Henderson & His Orchestra (3:06)

Download Link - Mediafire

Various Artists - The Rough Guide To West Africa (1995) (World Music Network)

World Music Network is a UK based record label specializing in world music. It was set up in 1994 by husband and wife team Phil Stanton and Colombian-born Sandra Alayón-Stanton. World Music Network consists of four record labels – Music Rough Guides, Riverboat Records, Introducing and Think Global. Music Rough Guides releases the Rough Guides CD compilations.

The Rough Guide series is produced in association with Rough Guide books and delivers the best possible starting point for exploring different music from all over the world.

‘The Rough Guides’ net is cast historically as well as stylistically… the liner notes are meticulously researched and written.’ ------- Wall Street Journal (USA).

I have a fairly extensive collection of these and while some are better than others they are a great starting point for anyone curious about the music of a particular area, I personally think some of the later compilations aren't great but I suppose it's all music and deserves to be listened to so as people can make their own evaluations. I'm going to start posting them all up over the next while.

If anyone checks out the world music network website and is looking for a specific compilation comment down below and I'll see what I can do.

The Rough Guide to West African Music, originally released in 1995 was the second release of the series; it largely focuses on Malian music, with six of the twelve tracks coming from that country. This is followed by Senegal (two tracks), and Guinea, Niger, Ghana, & Mauritania (one track each). Phil Stanton acted as producer on the compilation.

Chris Nickson of AllMusic gave the album four stars, but lamented the broadness of the topic, stating "the real problem with this album isn't the music, which is glorious throughout, but the fact that it suffers from the size of its ambition and the inability to fully realize it."

Michaelangelo Matos, writing for the Chicago Reader, praised the record's focus on slow to midtempo music, stating it "succeeds in sustaining a meditative, inner-gazing mood."

Tracklist:

1. "Foliba" - Super Rail Band (7:51)
2. "Djelika" - Toumani Diabaté (7:14)
3. "Roucky" - Ali Farka Touré (8:18)
4. "Toro" - Moussa Poussy (4:44)
5. "M'Bore" - Sona Diabate (6:09)
6. "Djama Kaissoumou" - Oumou Sangare (6:46)
7. "I Ka Di Nye" - Bajourou (5:19)
8. "205" - E.T. Mensah (3:05)
9. "Utru Horas" - Orchestra Baobab (8:41)
10. "Almamy Bocoum" - Mansour Seck (4:57)
11. "Mauritania My Beloved Country" - Dimi Mint Abba & Khalifa Ould Eide (3:32)
12. "Agne Anko" - Kante Manfila (4:37)

Download Link - Mediafire